Obama condemns ad against Jewish candidate  —  Nikki Tinker race baits Steve Cohen.  @ Yahoo! Video  —  Obama — in his de facto new role as leader of the Democratic Party — just put out a statement condemning Nikki Tinker's attack on Stephen Cohen, which has been widely interpreted …

Bin Laden's Former Driver Sentenced to 5 1/2 Years  —  Hamdan Receives Credit for Time Served, Could Be Released in 5 Months  —  A former driver for Osama bin Laden was sentenced today to 5 ½ years in prison for his material support for terrorism, a relatively light sentence that means …

Obama: “America is no longer what it once was”; Update: Rush reacts  —  When presidential candidates answer questions from children about why they want the job, most will give an answer that uplifts the child and the candidate.  Not Barack Obama.  At a campaign stop in Elkhart, Indiana …

Exxon [Hearts] Obama  —  As we close up a week wherein Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, on the stump and in a TV ad accused rival Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., of being “in the pocket of big oil,” and doing the industry's bidding — not to mention a week during which the Democratic National Committee launched …

John McCain: My Pop-Culture Favorites  —  The presumptive Republican presidential nominee talks to EW about his picks in movies ("Viva Zapata!," Indiana Jones), TV shows ("Seinfeld," “The Wire"), singers (Roy Orbison, Usher), and a fictional president he admires

Win Points for McCain!  —  Spread John McCain's official talking points around the Web — and you could win valuable prizes!  —  That, in essence, is the McCain campaign's pitch to supporters to join its new online effort, one that combines the features of “AstroTurf” campaigning with the sort …

Let's Chat  —  I want to thank everyone for joining me here today for our live chat.  I'm so grateful to all of my online friends for the amazing support you continue to show me.  Your kind words mean so much to me, and you have been instrumental in working to help retire our campaign debt.

Man held in Fla. for threatening Obama's life  —  Suspect held without bail Thursday after a brief court hearing  —  MIAMI - A man who authorities said was keeping weapons and military-style gear in his hotel room and car appeared in court Thursday on charges he threatened to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

SPEAKER OF THE FLOP: PELOSI SELLS 2,737 COPIES OF BOOK  —  The most powerful woman in the history of American politics is suffering a humiliating defeat at the nation's bookstores, sales figures show.  —  In her first week at market, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sold just 2,737 copies …

Suskind Revisited  —  Thursday, August 7th in War by Philip Giraldi  —  An extremely reliable and well placed source in the intelligence community has informed me that Ron Suskind's revelation that the White House ordered the preparation of a forged letter linking Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda …

Obama “grateful” for Kwame (unless this “isn't the Kwame Kilpatrick” he's known)  —  So Kwame's going to jail, huh?  How long, do you figure, before Barack Obama tells us that this is “not the Kwame Kilpatrick I know?”  From the sounds of these remarks (delivered last May to the Detroit Economic Club) …

What McCain Should Do Next  —  Notwithstanding the hype about Barack Obama, here is where the presidential race stands: John McCain was within an average of 1.9% of his Democratic opponent in last week's daily Gallup tracking poll.  —  It shouldn't be this close.  Sen. Obama should be way ahead.

The Gang of 10: Obama's Checkmate?  —  I try and avoid using grandiose rhetoric of this kind.  But there is a potential checkmate scenario sitting on the board for Barack Obama, and it involves the ‘Gang of 10’ energy compromise bill currently being floated by a bipartisan group of ten senators.

Bush Begins Beijing Visit as China Rebukes His Rights Speech  —  President Bush arrived in Beijing late today to begin his Olympics visit, even as the Chinese government reminded the world that it opposes interference from other countries on human rights issues.

Schumer: ‘Hit McCain Harder’  —  One of the Democratic Party's leading electoral street fighters, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, said that Barack Obama should respond to John McCain's personal attacks with an equally personal slap.  —  “I would not be afraid to attack back,” said Schumer …

TPMTV: DAZED AND CONFUSED  —  To me, the presidential race reached a turning point last week when John McCain opted for a campaign of denigration employing racial stereotypes, sexualized talking points for surrogates (Obama as “internet date") and copious ridicule.

White House memo exposes Rove knew of problems with anthrax vaccine  —  Rove said Gulf War Syndrome, vaccine political stumbling block  —  The Department of Defense continued its controversial mandatory anthrax vaccinations program despite high ranking Bush administration officials acknowledging …